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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27170372">Pop Holiday Collection</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/RagingCycloneZorch/pseuds/RagingCycloneZorch'>RagingCycloneZorch</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Trolls (Movies 2016 2020)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Bad Puns, Embarrassed Branch, Equinox, Humor, Other, Pop Village Holiday, Poppy's idea backfires, Shock A Friend Day, Smacksgiving Day, Socks, Static electricity, We're just going through all the Pop Troll Holidays, it's all in fun</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 01:27:27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,141</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27170372</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/RagingCycloneZorch/pseuds/RagingCycloneZorch</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>One-shots of different Pop Troll holidays mentioned in 'Trolls Holiday.' They can be set at any time, and are all comedy! Requests are welcome!</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Branch/Queen Poppy (Trolls)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>53</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Slapping is Love</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Don't expect updates too often on this. I'll do a new one-shot whenever I get a new idea and have the time to write it. All of these will be comedies, or at least attempts at comedies! Hope you enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>It's Smacksgiving Day in Pop Village! After being reminded of the true meaning of the holiday, Poppy gets an idea for one of her friends, but it doesn't really go as she plans…</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So, today (October 23) is actually National Slap Your Irritating Co-Worker Day. It's a bit odd, but it prompted me to write a short piece about a holiday which was mentioned in Trolls Holiday: Smacksgiving Day. I hope you enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Come back here, you little-”</p><p>“Barb, calm down!”</p><p>“Can someone grab her?”</p><p>“Oh my guh!”</p><p>Branch just groaned at the scene in front of him. Poppy was being chased by a furious Barb, while some of the others tried to stop her. She was just doing what anyone who didn’t know about the holiday would do. That was kind of a miscommunication on his part. Poppy loved surprises, so he probably should have told the Rock Queen about the impending “doom,” as he would put it. Honestly, it had started out as a normal day. Well, as normal as one could get in Pop Village.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>“HAPPY SMACKSGIVING DAY, EVERYONE!”</p><p>Poppy loved Smacksgiving Day. That’s why she shouted it from the mushroom at the front of the village, much to Branch’s objection. Then again, she loved all the Troll Village — Sorry, Pop Village — holidays, except for probably Bleepy Sound Day, which she recently found out Branch absolutely adored. But she wasn’t going to talk about that today, especially since there were Trolls that needed to be slapped!</p><p>The only question was who to slap first…</p><p>Maybe Smidge? She could definitely take the opportunity, but it was just a one way ticket to getting slapped in return, which she would like if it were anyone <em> but </em> Smidge. Plus there was the <em> incident </em>from last year, so it might not be such a good idea.</p><p>In all the years she participated in the holiday, she <em> never </em>slapped Biggie, for…obvious reasons. And she wasn’t about to start now.</p><p>Before Poppy could go through the rest of her friends to decide who to slap first this year, a sharp sting cut across her cheek. She brought her hand up to her face, feeling the heat marks from four fingers, before turning to see who the culprit was. </p><p>Branch.</p><p>Of course.</p><p>He had a mischievous smile on his face, like he hadn’t just slapped the Queen and his girlfriend. “You know, I’ve actually wanted to do that for quite a while.”</p><p>With one hand on her hip and a smile on her face, Poppy slapped him back. And <em> man </em> , did it feel good. “You know, coincidentally, I’ve wanted to do <em> that </em>for a while, too.”</p><p>“Solid burn, Poppy.”</p><p>“I know!” she squealed, before giving him a big hug to make up for the slap. It was all in the fun of the holiday, but she still always felt bad after doing it.</p><p>“Uh…’Scuse me fer askin,” she heard a male voice say from behind her. “But is there a <em> reason </em> y’all are slappin’ each other?”</p><p>Poppy quickly turned on her heels to see Hickory behind her. Without saying a word, she slapped him, too. “Happy Smacksgiving Day, Hickory!”</p><p>“Ah, that’s why.” He rubbed his face as he looked to Branch for an explanation, but Poppy saw the Yodeller’s inquisitive look and beat him to it.</p><p>“It’s a Pop Troll holiday,” she explained. “Instead of hugging to show love, we slap people instead. It also helps get any anger out!”</p><p>Hickory backed up a bit. Whether it was because he was weirded out or he wasn’t interested in getting slapped again, Poppy wasn’t sure. But she continued on anyway. “I mean, you have <em> no </em> idea how many times I’ve wanted to slap Branch over the years for his constant…” She tried to find a good word, but there was just no way to say it without being rude.</p><p>“Paranoia,” the teal Troll supplied, looking a bit annoyed with this whole thing.</p><p>She gave him a grateful smile for putting up with her. “Yeah. That.” </p><p>The three talked for a bit, Poppy all the while scanning around for any of her other friends that might be approaching. To her dismay, she didn’t see any during the entire exchange. That was probably because she might have been just a <em> bit </em>too enthusiastic about the holiday over the years…</p><p>Sure, one of her friends <em> might </em>have lost a couple teeth last year, but that was no reason to try and avoid her, right? It wasn’t like Dr. Plum wasn’t able to fix them up afterwards.</p><p>“Poppy!”</p><p>The Queen snapped out of her thoughts to Branch waving a hand in her face. She looked around once more for any of her other friends before giving him her full attention. “Yeah, Branch?”</p><p>He groaned. “I’ve been trying to tell you something! Haven’t you been listening?”</p><p>“Maybeeee?”</p><p>Another groan. Well, it was actually more like a sigh. “Hickory said Satin and Chenille are looking for you over at your pod.”</p><p>Hickory snapped his fingers in realization. “<em> That’s </em>their names. Yeah, said something when I was coming in about wanting to give you an outfit for the holiday.”</p><p>Poppy immediately lit up. No matter what the occasion, she always loved the clothing the Fashion Twins made. She had no doubt it would be amazing, and was really looking forward to seeing what they came up with this year. She could also make sure she made the most of the holiday with two of her friends right there! That was perfect!</p><p>She quickly gave Hickory a hug and Branch a kiss on the cheek before running off. “See you guys later!” she called back.</p><p>Upon arriving at her pod, Poppy stopped short, noticing Satin and Chenille weren’t the only of her friends gathered outside the pink and yellow colored residence. All the rest of the Snack Pack were gathered there, too. There was also no evidence of any of the twins’ new creations…</p><p>She awkwardly chuckled at the serious faces they all gave her. “Um…What’s this all about, guys?”</p><p>“Poppy, I have a piece of hardened taffy for a tooth,” Smidge deadpanned. “What do you <em> think </em>it’s about?”</p><p>“Right, right.” In retrospect, she probably should have eased up a bit last year, but the party the previous night had left her with more sugar than ever, so she did have a bit of an excuse. The others called it <em> overkill </em> , but she called it free will. Looking back, it <em> was </em> probably a mistake. </p><p>Without warning, Biggie came up and slapped Poppy. For the first time. <em> Ever </em>. </p><p>They all gasped and looked at the blue Troll, Poppy in particular the most shocked. This was <em> Biggie </em>. He never participated in Smacksgiving Day. </p><p>He noticed the surprised looks and tucked Mr. Dinkles under his arm, reaching up to take a book out of his hair. <em> The Complete Guide to Troll Village Holidays </em>, Poppy noted. Most likely from either her dad or the library. He flipped through until he got to the page for that day, then started reading. </p><p>“‘On Smacksgiving Day, Trolls may show affection by slapping other Trolls, normally in the face. This takes the place of hugs for showing love, but the giver and the recipient may hug as well to their satisfaction.’” Poppy vaguely recalled reading the book at one time, but she didn’t really need to as royalty. She knew all the holidays by heart.</p><p>Biggie closed the book, having given his explanation. “You see, the holiday was originally created centuries ago by a King and his son, who had a grey friend that didn’t like hugs. In order to show him he was still loved, they slapped him instead, and it’s become a tradition ever since.”</p><p>The Snack Pack all chorused in understanding. Poppy realized Biggie must have only found the book this year, and that’s why he only started now. It was a way to show affection without hugging, something that could lose meaning if one did it too much. It was also good for Trolls that didn’t like hugs… </p><p>She quickly got her friends’ attention and told them of the new plan she formulated. While the exchange did end in all of them slapping her, they all agreed it was a good idea. Now she just had to wait for a certain someone to arrive in Pop Village, and she had no doubt they would be there soon.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>“Yo, Popsqueak! What’s up?” </p><p>Poppy squealed when she heard Barb behind her, turning on the balls of her feet. Branch was there too, for support, but she hadn’t told him her plan yet. If she was planning something stupid like slapping Barb, he didn’t know what they’d do.</p><p>“Hi, Barb!” The pink Queen bounded forward, and Barb prepared herself for the hug she knew was coming, whether she wanted it or not. Poppy was like that.</p><p>
  <em> SLAP! </em>
</p><p>The Queen of Rock slowly brought her hand to her face, seething at her best friend. Poppy’s smile quickly washed away.</p><p>“What’s wrong?” she asked, oblivious to the coming explosion. “Did I not do it hard enough? Too hard?”</p><p>Then it happened. Barb blew up.</p><p>Not literally, of course. She just growled and started chasing Poppy, fueled by rage and the thought that Poppy would <em> dare </em>to slap her.</p><p>“Come back here, you little-”</p><p>“Barb, calm down!” Poppy called back. </p><p>She continued to chase the Pop Queen around the village until a greyish blur tackled her to the ground. Branch stepped in front of Poppy, grateful it was all over. Couldn’t there be just <em> one </em>day where everything was normal?</p><p>Riff, who had tackled Barb, held her back from lunging at Poppy. She was still mad about the slap.</p><p>“What was <em> that </em> for?!” she yelled. “Don’t you know that you don’t just go around <em> slapping </em>Trolls?!”</p><p>Poppy pouted a bit, which Branch would have thought was cute if not for the circumstances. “But it’s Smacksgiving Day!”</p><p>Barb just looked at her in bewilderment. Branch was the only one of all the Pop Trolls around the area that saw the need for further explanation. “Basically, instead of hugging, it’s a holiday where we slap each other to show love and affection. And before you say anything-” he added when he saw she was going to, “-yes, I know it’s weird. Everything here is weird.”</p><p>Once Barb agreed not to attack Poppy, Riff let her go. “Alright, this has been an…<em> interesting </em> 10 minutes. As soon as I’m done here, I’m going to go home and throw some stuff, but first…”</p><p>She strutted up to the other Queen and slapped her back with a satisfied smirk. Poppy smiled as she watched Barb and Riff leave again in their large critter bus. She went to stand next to her boyfriend once they had gone.</p><p>“Well, I think this day went-”</p><p>
  <em>“ Don’t even say it. ”</em>
</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Yeah, I know it's kind of short and weird. But I'm actually proud of it.<br/>Comments are always appreciated!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Socks, Wonderful Socks!</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>"There's a very special day we call an equinox! It's a great opportunity to celebrate socks!"</p><p>The Equinox comes up in Troll village, and Branch is a little skeptical. And confused.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>December 4th is National Sock Day! (In the US, at least) And you know what that means! It's the Equinox in Pop Village! This one is post movie, but pre TWT. There are also a few Broppy moments. Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>One of the few holidays in Troll Village which wasn’t loud or annoying was the Equinox. According to the Troll Village Holiday Guide Branch had gotten from the library, it was a day to celebrate socks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That struck him as a bit odd, considering that Trolls didn’t even wear socks. Cloud Guy did, but… </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yeah, he hoped Poppy wouldn’t invite the eccentric cloud. That was just inviting trouble.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anyways, the whole day was apparently filled with activities celebrating socks. It was pretty stupid, in Branch’s opinion, but Trolls had been talking about it for weeks. Was there something special about it the book didn’t touch on? Something nobody told him? Whatever it was, he was still going to participate. He had missed far too many holidays in his Bunker.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Branch!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The teal Troll closed the scrapbook holiday guide and smiled when he spotted Poppy running over. Probably to give him an invitation to the Equinox celebration, he figured. Now that he had his colors back, he would gladly go to almost any celebration Poppy dragged him to. “Hey, Poppy. What’s up?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She did that little thing where she bounced on her toes when she was excited, which Branch thought was absolutely adorable. She shoved a scrapbook card into his arms, which he gladly accepted. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘You’re invited as my Equinox guest!’ the card sang out, spraying a much expected stream of glitter in his face. He quickly wiped it off. He may have had his colors back, but that didn’t mean he liked glitter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks, Poppy, but I was already planning on going.” Branch smiled at her and placed the invite in his hair, planning to add it to his collection later.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But now you get to go with me!” she exclaimed, enveloping her best friend in a hug. He immediately reciprocated, always loving every moment he got to spend with Poppy. Too bad she only saw him as a friend.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Branch nodded slowly at his thoughts and her words, and decided to try out a confession again. “Poppy?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah?” she asked, pulling away to gaze at him with a curious look.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This was it - the time he finally confessed. “I, uh…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Pop Queen glanced behind her, where their friends were standing, then back at him with a slightly impatient look. How long had he been standing there?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I just wanted to say…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m super excited to go to the Equinox celebration with you!” he finally said. He could literally see the Snack Pack facepalming behind Poppy, all appalled that he would chicken out once again. “You know, with my best friend! Just going around the village celebrating… socks, with my really, really good friend! Yup!” Branch tried to smile innocently as her expression warped with confusion, but it was really hard with their friends laughing their heads off right in front of him, albeit about a yard away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Um… Ok!” Poppy, being Poppy, immediately laughed it off and gave him another hug before skipping away. “See you there!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Branch blinked and stared after her. The Equinox wasn’t until the next day. Wouldn’t he see her before then? It was only noon, after all. He chalked it up to pressure from Queenly duties.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Branch turned to see the Snack Pack coming toward him, trying to act as if nothing had happened. “How are you this morning, Branch?” Biggie asked, trying to stifle a laugh behind his fist.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Of course they wouldn’t let this go. “It’s noon,” the teal Troll deadpanned. “What do you all need?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Snickers filled the air, coming from about half of the group as Satin and Chenille made their way to the front. Even with the warm weather and the shining sun, Branch could tell it was going to be one of those days.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s come to our attention,” Satin started, “that we never made you socks for the Equinox tomorrow.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>That’s </span>
  </em>
  <span>what they all wanted to talk to him about? “And that’s important… why?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chenille scoffed, eyeing the book in his left hand. She was the more headstrong twin, so she had no problem speaking her mind. “It’s celebrating socks Branch. You need to wear some, obviously.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With wide eyes, he cracked open the book again, searching for any clue that pointed to that fact. “It- It doesn’t say I have to wear socks!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Branch didn’t like wearing socks. For one, they restricted the senses on his feet, which wasn’t really good for various safety precautions. There were also a few… other reasons.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I might regret this, but why don’t you want to wear socks?” Smidge asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Branch crossed his arms with a smirk, as if it would justify what </span>
  <em>
    <span>he </span>
  </em>
  <span>figured, was a perfectly good reason. “Cloud Guy wears socks. I rest my case.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As the others just stared at him with an astonished look, he felt something heavy suddenly fall on his back. “What’s that about Cloud Guy?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Poppy again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Of course.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After managing to convince her to get off his back, he explained what they were talking about. “...So, I just don’t want to wear socks, and nobody can convince me otherwise,” he finished.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Poppy just waved it off, being, you know, Poppy. “Oh, we both know you’ll end up doing it anyways. That’s what always happens.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Branch could feel his jaw going slack, and blushed when Poppy had to push it up. It wasn’t because she was going to try and convince him. No, that wasn’t the problem.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The problem was that she was </span>
  <em>
    <span>right.</span>
  </em>
  <span> 100% right. He was just hair over heels for this girl, and would literally do </span>
  <em>
    <span>anything </span>
  </em>
  <span>for her. That included joining her in some crazy video debate thing, or even dressing up as a sun to her rainbow for a holiday presentation he </span>
  <em>
    <span>knew</span>
  </em>
  <span> would fail.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So, yeah. He’d probably end up wearing the wackiest, craziest, most colorful socks in the whole village if she asked him to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As she skipped off again for the </span>
  <em>
    <span>second</span>
  </em>
  <span> time that day, he turned back to their friends, a request in mind. They all smirked knowingly, which Branch honestly thought was pretty annoying. “So… I guess I’ll be needing some socks after all. But nothing too flashy,” he added as a last minute thought. “Or colorful. Or loud. Maybe green or brown.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You have </span>
  <em>
    <span>no</span>
  </em>
  <span> fashion sense,” Satin told him, analyzing her nails.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Branch glared at her before grumbling at the whole situation. “Just- Make me some socks, ok? I don’t care what kind.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Without waiting for a response, he turned on his heels and walked back to the Bunker, leaving several members of the Snack Pack speechless.</span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>When Branch emerged from the Bunker the next day, Poppy was already there waiting for him. Of course, she had found a way to keep herself occupied, judging by the amount of scrapbook supplies around both her and the rock on which she sat. She instantly lit up when she saw him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Branch, my man! Happy Equinox!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He almost laughed when she launched for a hug, but he held back in favor of wrapping his arms around her in return. As they pulled away, he noted the fuzzy bright blue and pink glittery socks she wore. They looked perfect on her. Although, he was sure they weren’t the craziest socks in the village. That would probably go to Guy or Fuzzbert.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Poppy motioned for her to follow her, and he quickly caught up as they walked into the village. She smiled and waved to every Troll who greeted them, being the kind Queen and friend she was. As he walked, Branch noticed every Troll was wearing socks, some simple, some crazy. Well, at least Cloud Guy wasn’t there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two finally stopped outside Satin and Chenille’s pod, which was </span>
  <em>
    <span>covered</span>
  </em>
  <span> in socks. All shapes and sizes. Branch couldn’t even see the hair of the pod anymore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh... do the Twins do this for </span>
  <em>
    <span>every </span>
  </em>
  <span>holiday?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Poppy quickly swiveled around. “Yep! Now, I have a bunch of stuff to prepare for the celebration later today, so you can go on inside to get your socks and your costume, and I’ll see you at the festival, alright?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He processed everything she said before giving her a thumbs up and one last hug, then watching her run off to oversee the rest of the preparation for the actual Equinox celebration. After analyzing the fashion twins’ pod once more, he went inside and spotted the sisters on the far side, sorting socks. He cleared his throat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Satin and Chenille, hearing that, turned and smiled when they saw Branch. As he waved, they ushered him to a large pile of socks. “See any you like?” Satin asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He bent and sorted through the large pile, finding that the two had certainly been busy. He found socks there which were even crazier than he ever could have imagined. Finally, after a few minutes of searching, he pulled out a light green pair with a single brown stripe around the top of the cuff. It also had blue glitter on it, to match his colors. “These’ll be fine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They both leaned around him to get a good look at his selection. Upon seeing them, they exchanged a glance and nodded approvingly. Branch nodded back and went to sit on the nearby chair to put them on his feet. He wiggled his toes a little after standing, surprised that he could still feel the ground. He smiled at the Twins before saying a word of thanks and making a move to leave the pod. He couldn’t really get far, though, because a rope of pink and lavender wrapped around his waist and dragged him back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not so fast, Branch,” Chenille scolded. “We still need to make sure your costume fits.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He got to his feet and looked at them, dumbfounded. “My… costume?” What were they talking about?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They began to usher him towards a nearby closet, much to his protests. “Obviously the sock costume for your performance with Poppy at the festival,” Satin said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At that, Branch’s eyes widened. He quickly pushed them away, moving away from the closet. “Now, wait a minute! What are you talking about?” Poppy had never mentioned anything about performing with her, had she? He probably would have remembered her mentioning something like that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They both sighed, and Chenille stepped forward to explain. “She gave you an invitation to come as her guest, right?” He nodded, taking the card out of his hair. “When a royal formally invites someone to the Equinox, that means they get to dress like a sock and perform the annual ‘Ode to Socks’ with them. You get to do that with Poppy this year!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a real honor,” Satin added.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Branch just gaped, astonished. He had done lots of crazy things for Poppy over the past few months, but that had to take the cake. It was just too bizarre. “I’m not going to do it.” He crossed his arms and shot them a look, just daring them to try and convince him otherwise.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They both just shrugged it off. “Alright,” Satin began, obviously trying to hold back a snicker. “But you’ll have to explain to Poppy why you backed out at the last minute.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Backed out!?” He was appalled that they would call it that. Nobody even told him about it! “I didn’t even know about-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chenille cut him off and shoved him behind a curtain. “Dress now, talk later, Branch!” One of them, he wasn’t sure which, also tossed a Troll-sized sock costume to him. “Poppy will be by in a few minutes to see if you look alright!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not at all happy about the whole ordeal, but wanting to please Poppy, he put on the costume, grumbling the whole time. The invite, nor the holiday guide, didn’t say anything about this. He waddled out in the hair to toe sock costume, a frown on his face. There was no way he could use any sort of defense against predators in the thing. The costume was uncomfortable. It was stupid. It was-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Poppy was right there. Great.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She squealed when she saw him, almost hurting his sensitive ears. “Branch! You look so amazing!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He offered her a small smile. After she dressed in a matching costume, looking as ridiculous as him, he knew it would probably be ok.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After all, what could happen? (Don’t answer that.)</span>
</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Let me know what you think about that one, and if you have any requests, I'd be glad to hear them and do my best to write them! Thanks for reading!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. A "Shocking" Revelation</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Branch explains Shock A Friend Day to some of his and Poppy's friends from the other tribes, but he doesn't count on some of them being absolutely terrified of the holiday.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Well, it's been almost three months, but I finally got back into writing some Post Movie humor! This was a request from Undertaleuniverse!</p><p>Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Branch knew <em> a lot </em> about Shock a Friend Day. That wasn’t because of his holiday book, oh no. Poppy, being Poppy, tried to zap him every year, much to his disdain. Now that he actually had his colors back, though…</p><p>Oh, yeah. He couldn’t wait to zap Poppy. And maybe the Snack Pack. Nobody else, though, because he definitely <em> wasn’t </em> excited about Shock a Friend Day.</p><p>If someone zapped another Troll, it was a one way ticket to being zapped right back. That made a chain reaction within the community, which kept the “fun” going and encouraged others to zap their friends and family. It seemed pretty hurtful when one thought about it.</p><p>Actually, though, being zapped <em> didn’t </em> hurt at all. It was just a light shock, like static electricity after rubbing a balloon and hair fibers together. Kind of tingly and surprising, or even overall <em> shocking, </em>he would say.</p><p>Everyone present groaned at the horrible pun, while Branch just laughed.</p><p>“Dude.”</p><p>“Why’d you even-”</p><p>“I mean, it <em> was </em> pretty good...”</p><p>“Ok, listen, listen,” Branch waved his hands around to get everyone’s attention again, which was actually pretty easy considering all of them were a little more prone to stay on topic than the Pop Trolls. “In my defense, this is an actual holiday, and Poppy told me to tell you that she’s really excited to have you guys join, alright? She wanted me to tell you about it.”</p><p>Most of them looked a little uneasy, except for Barb, who was obviously planning something mischievous. Typical of the Rock Queen, who had been taking advantage of a surprising amount of holidays to do some prank, usually to Branch.</p><p>He frowned a little at the thought just as Trollex floated forward, light fear evident on his normally confident and brave face. “How active is Poppy during the holiday? Also, when is it?”</p><p>Branch almost facepalmed, but remembered the other tribes had really only known them for a few months, and had only had a few meetings. So, he gave the honest answer, the one he had learned throughout the years. “It’s Poppy. There’s your answer. And it’s today.”</p><p>They all nodded in understanding, but Trollex and Prince D just chuckled awkwardly. It also seemed like there was definitely an evident swallow that came from the two, so Branch knew there was something up. </p><p>“Are… you two ok?”</p><p>Trollex laughed a little too loudly to be normal, and just waved it off. “Ok? I’m great! You know, there’s just one… little… thing… Gotta go!”</p><p>Everyone watched as the Techno King zoomed away toward the lagoon, not even stopping to greet various passing Trolls as he normally would have. Odd.</p><p>“Alright…” Branch slowly turned back to the rest of the group, ignoring Barb’s constant snickers. “I know it’s-”</p><p>Before he could get any more of the thought out in the open, the Rock Queen broke down with laughter. Literally. He just glared at her, while the others were just confused as to why she was laughing so hard. Luckily for all of them, Riff asked the question that was on everyone’s minds, as to why Barb was so amused.</p><p>“Dudes, everyone’s a wimp!” was her answer. That was a bit… blunt, to say the least. “Fish Boy got scared of the holiday, Flyby and Miss ‘Throw You In Jail’ didn’t even bother to show up-”</p><p>“You do know that Trollex, Trollzart, and Delta have actual <em> names, </em> right?”</p><p>She waved it off, still laughing. “Yeah, whatever you say blue boy.” Snickers arose from the rest of the group, and Branch glared at the offenders, getting a little tired of the whole conversation.</p><p>“As I was saying,” Branch started again, just daring Barb to interrupt, “I know it’s a really weird way to spend the day, but it’s all fun and games. It doesn’t even mess up your nerve system, surprisingly.”</p><p>“Does Cooper usually participate?” Prince D asked once Branch was done.</p><p>The teal Troll thought for a second, before looking around for the subject in question. “I would assume so. I’ve never actually <em> willingly </em> participated before, but everyone in Pop Village always gets really excited about it. Cooper is probably included in that.” He looked back at the Funk Prince with a questioning look. “Why?”</p><p>D quickly shook his head. “No reason. But you’re a smart guy. You’ll figure it out.”</p><p>With that, he went off in the same direction as Trollex, and, like the Techno King, seemed to be avoiding nearby Trolls. Branch just scratched his head and turned back to the remaining three members of their now small group, deciding to address the quietest one up to that point. “Hickory? Any thoughts?”</p><p>The Yodeller took off his large hat and looked around the village, seeing the many Pop Trolls who were shocking their friends and even total strangers. “Seems like a right weird way to spend a day, if you ask me. How’re you even supposed to do that?”</p><p>Branch motioned for the three to follow him, then took a more secluded route to the Bunker to avoid being zapped. During the fifteen minute journey, he was surprised not to see Poppy anywhere. Usually, his girlfriend would be walking or singing somewhere around the village, or even looking for her friends, but she was nowhere to be found.</p><p>Hopefully she wasn’t planning something for his demise with the holiday.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>“What is with you Pop Trolls and these crazy holidays?” Barb asked as she leaned against the wall of the Bunker. Branch gave a glance in her direction as he came out of another room with a large rug in his arms, then laughed out loud.</p><p>“I have no idea!”</p><p>“You have no idea.”</p><p>He laughed again at the confusion of the others at both his answer and the rug he had. “Nope. There’s a lot of stuff everyone does that confuses me, but I still go along with it, because I’ve learned to love this community, and I want to participate in everything I’ve missed out on over the years.”</p><p>The three of them looked at him like he was crazy. Branch quickly cleared his throat to ease the silence, then spread the rug on the stone ground of his living room. Barb immediately broke down in laughter again. Two times in one day - That was a new record.</p><p>He took a quick glance at the carpet, then realized what it looked like and stared, then facepalmed. Maybe he should have looked before just randomly grabbing a rug to get the experiment over, instead of accidentally bringing out the one Poppy gave him, which was decorated with little pink hearts and rainbows. He meant to put it out the next time Poppy came over, but never meant for anyone else to see it. Hearts and rainbows honestly weren’t very good for his reputation.</p><p>“Ok, how about, for the purpose of this demonstration, we ignore what this looks like, huh?” When Barb continued to laugh, and Riff and Hickory eventually joined in, Branch gave them a hard glare and went to stand on the rug. “Poppy gave it to me, ok!? I didn’t pick this out!”</p><p>“Suure…”</p><p>Branch glared at Barb again before getting an idea. He smirked, ignoring the persistent giggles about the carpet. “Ok, Barb. Since you find my rug so amusing, then you won’t mind helping me with my Shock A Friend Day example.”</p><p>That got the Queen of Rock to be quiet. She slowly turned to him as he smirked. The two stared each other down, as Riff and Hickory watched with interest. Somehow, Riff managed to acquire a bag of popcorn, and munched on it while watching the two.</p><p>“Why can’t one of them do it?” Barb complained, pointing at her assistant and the Yodeller. She and Branch never broke eye contact.</p><p>“Because I want <em> you </em> to do it.” Another idea came to mind. “Unless you’re scared.”</p><p>Barb’s glare became deeper, and she finally broke eye contact after a few seconds. “Bring it on, blue boy.”</p><p>Oh, yeah. Branch wanted to zap her more than ever now. With a smirk, he rubbed his feet against the rug, creating friction, until almost his whole body was surrounded by electricity. Slowly, he started advancing toward Barb.</p><p>The Queen of Rock backed up a bit, seeing Riff drop his popcorn in shock out of the corner of her eye. “Yeah, you can stop now, Branch. We get the point.”</p><p>“I told you - It doesn’t hurt. You’re just scared.”</p><p>Her eyes widened again, and she quickly held out her arm. “I’m not scared.”</p><p>Branch reached out his hand. Riff and Hickory continued to watch on, curious about how the Rock Queen would react once getting zapped. The two’s hands were a centimeter apart, and their fingers almost touched…</p><p>
  <em> Knock Knock Knock Knock Knock Knock- </em>
</p><p>Everyone froze. The static electricity surrounding Branch was now gone, and he looked up toward the entrance of the Bunker. “That’s not Poppy’s knock.” Without another thought, he hopped onto the lift, waiting for a minute while the others joined him. The lever was pulled, and the lift began to ascend.</p><p>“Who do you think that is?” Riff asked, although a little timidly. Branch just shrugged. It could have been any one of him and Poppy’s friends, but he had memorized all their knocks. It wasn’t any of them. So who could it be?</p><p>The lift stopped once in the upper level of the Bunker, and Branch slid open the peephole to see who was on the other side.</p><p>“Trollex?”</p><p>The Techno king nodded, and Branch quickly opened the door and hopped out. Prince D was there, too. “What are you two doing here?”</p><p>Trollex laughed awkwardly. “Funny story, man. See, we wanted to hide in here for a while.”</p><p>D nodded his head in agreement. “Just ‘til we can say hi and bye to Poppy, then we’re gonna split.”</p><p>Why in the world would they want to hide in the Bunker? Branch could understand not wanting to get zapped, but like he explained to them earlier, it really wasn’t that bad. He crossed his arms and accidentally let out a stifled laugh. “Poppy isn’t going to be very happy if you don’t participate even once. She really wasn’t to zap all of you.”</p><p>Awkward silence followed. Trollex spread out his arms. “Bro. I’m a fish, for Trolls’ sake. I live in <em> water. </em> What do you think is gonna happen if I get zapped?”</p><p>Branch’s eyes widened in realization. Oh. He turned to Prince D, and quickly gave him an inspection, head to feet, before the awareness set in, and he facepalmed. “And <em> you </em> can’t get zapped because you’re covered in fur…”</p><p>“Seriously, man, even <em> I </em> knew that.” Barb whacked him on the arm, earning a hard glare. Branch rubbed at the sore spot as he looked back to Trollex and D.</p><p>“Ok, I guess you can hide for a while.”</p><p>As the two shuffled into the Bunker entrance, Barb leaned over to Branch, smirking. “They’re terrified. Isn’t it hilarious?”</p><p>He didn’t give any visible response, his mouth still turned into a straight line. “You were too, you know.”</p><p>“Hey!” Trollex’s voice exclaimed from over top of the entrance. “We are not scared! Just a little, tiny bit concerned.”</p><p>“I never said you were scared. I said you were terrified. You weren’t even this terrified when I tried to take your string.”</p><p>Branch just gave Barb a look, not that she saw since she and Trollex were still in a somewhat heated argument about the holiday. He jumped into the Bunker entrance and waited for the two of them to notice he was about to close the mat. He looked up at Prince D. “So… <em> Are </em> you two terrified? If you get zapped…”</p><p>“A little. I don’t know why Cooper does it.” The two took a quick look at Barb and Trollex before looking back at each other. “I mean, I saw my bro earlier, and he tried to zap me. He got me. It was pretty messed up, man. I don’t want that happening again.”</p><p>Branch nodded in understanding. Hearing sudden silence, he noticed Barb and Trollex were finally done with their argument. “Do you want to go down, or what?”</p><p>A chorus of yes’s arose from the group. Just as he was about to pull the mat closed, another voice rose from outside.</p><p>“Branch!”</p><p>Uh oh. He would recognize the happy voice of his girlfriend anywhere. He quickly sighed and hopped out of the bunker. “Be right there!” He turned to the group in his Bunker. “Head on down. I don’t know how long I’ll be.”</p><p>Before they could protest, he closed the trapdoor. The five of them stood in darkness for a few seconds, trying to see if they could hear anything. Branch and Poppy must have been too far away, because there seemed to be silence outside. Barb pulled the lever.</p><p>The last thing they heard before the lift descended was a scream from outside. It sounded like Branch. Barb let out another loud laugh, while Trollex just looked between her and the door up top.</p><p>“I thought he said it didn’t hurt!”</p><p>“Dude, Pop Trolls are all crazy. I’m glad we’re not up there.”</p><p>Before they got to the bottom, the lift started to ascend again. Confused voices filled the air as the platform stopped. The mat opened, letting sunlight in, and Branch appeared, looking completely frazzled. Both literally and figuratively. Everyone started snickering at his mussed hair and smoking vest.</p><p>“Not. A. Word.”</p><p>“Oh, come on, Branch!” Poppy’s voice exclaimed from beside him. He moved aside to let her look into the Bunker. “It’s not that bad!”</p><p>Branch groaned again and walked away. Poppy just smiled after him, then turned to her visiting friends, rubbing her hands together. “Now… Who’s next?”</p><p>Trollex fainted. The others, seeing him, just stared at Poppy, who didn’t look shaken.</p><p>“Don’t worry, guys. It doesn’t hurt. It’s just shocking.”</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Well, I hope that was alright considering I haven't written pure humor in a while. Don't forget requests are welcome!</p><p>Now, I'm really, super, extra excited, because season 2 of Trollstopia has been confirmed for March 18! Head on over here to see the synopsis!<br/>https://trolls.fandom.com/wiki/Season_2_(Trolls:_TrollsTopia)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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